Kickin It In Thailand

-Koh Tao, Thailand-

Gone Diving

Back Into Thailand

-Bangkok, Thailand-

After leaving Cambodia, I went to an Island off the northern coast called Ko Samet. It is one of the more quite islands that sees tourists in Thailand I am sure. I stayed in a guesthouse, with the waves lapping underneath my room, for 4 nights on the more isolated part of the island. The east side of the small island had the fancy hotels, restaurants, and waves. It was nice being away from the music and noise, because I know that when I get to the islands down south, it is going to loud and crazy the whole time.

I decided to come back to Bangkok after leaving Ko Samet. There was still some shopping to do for me and others, and some more graffiti to take photos of, and some more areas to explore. It started out a little rough, having to sit in rush hour traffic for a couple hours on the local bus once I arrived in the city. Having not eaten a meal for almost 24 hours I was obviously slightly fatigued. I decided before I even got to Bangkok where I would be eating. I checked into my cheap guesthouse, took a shower, brushed my teeth, and went straight to Burger King and ordered a double-bacon cheeseburger value meal. It was great. And I have no regrets about eating there. Although I ate upstairs where no pedestrians could walk by and judge me. I have wondered why I see so many westerners eating at McDonald's or Pizza Hut in the past and silently scorned them as I passed by. But, I won't be so judgemental in the future. Maybe.

Today I hunted down some graffiti in an old parking structure off of one of the main roads. There were some aggressive dogs that scared me, one very large mutt in particular. I was as surprised to see him as he was surprised to see me, I think. But I didn't get arrested or bitten or mugged, and found a really awesome piece on the fourth level, so it was worth the risk. I went in and out of the mega shopping malls and explored some of the side streets in the middle of Bangkok during the afternoon. There is an area in Bangkok that has at least 10-15 large malls, all of which put Horton Plaza and Mall of America to shame. It is amazing how much stuff is for sale here in Bangkok, whether it is on the street or in a mall. Most of it is the same stuff everywhere you go: t-shirts, sandals, shoes, bags, and other assorted clothing items. With so many people selling the same thing, I don't understand how all these merchants make a living. And the suit guys...I don't see any Thai men wearing suits, but there are thousands of suit sellers in this town (over half of which are Sikhs).

I really like Bangkok a lot, and I think that if I had to pick a city to live in that has been along my trip, I would choose Bangkok. But I cannot spend too much longer here. I need to get down south, to the islands and have some fun there.

Taking It Down A Notch

-Sihanoukville, Cambodia-

I left Phnom Penh satisfied. Even though it was a depressing place in a lot of ways, I got some stuff done that made me happy. I mailed some stuff home for a lot less than I thought, including 3 different complete series of TV shows, every Kurosawa movie created, and 10 other movies. They should keep me busy for a while when I get back. I got out of Phnom Penh and went south to the beaches at Sihanoukville. There are a few on this semi-peninsular shaped area, and I chose the cheaper area, which I am sure has less people, but is quite relaxing. The lightning from the storms last night was really great too, and was the extent of the excitement while I was here.
I am not sure who is reading this anymore, but a few of you have wondered how that I could afford this trip. Well, I have been keeping track of some of my expenditures, including guesthouse prices. Here is a small breakdown of some costs for nightly accommodations:

India - 4.75$ per night

Laos - 4.15$ per night

Cambodia - 3.50$ per night.

Most places I stay are pretty basic, with a fan (no A.C. for me) and shared bathroom. But sometimes, like currently, I have a good room with a tv and my own bathroom for 4$. But with enough practice and low-maintenance needs, you can really make any budget stretch in Asia.

I think I may get my first taste of Thai beaches in two days as I head farther west. I have loaded up on some new books and am looking forward to my improved tan.

The Heart of Darkness

-Phnom Penh, Cambodia-

I have been putting off this next entry for a while now, and having happened across a .40$ per hour internet cafe in the heat of the mid day sun, I have decided to write it and upload some new pictures. I started out in Siem Reap, Cambodia having taken an hour long flight from Pakse, Laos. I spent 4 days in Siem Reap exploring the temples at Angkor. They were quite amazing, but while looking up at the exquisite murals and stone carvings, I could not imagine the people who used these stone structures. I did not really understand or know anything about the Khmer people who made them, which lead to a rather ambivalent attitude towards the sight of all the temples I was seeing. I bought a three day pass, which allowed my moto driver to take me to lots of temples. By the time we got around to Angkor Wat on the third day I had seen enough and am afraid that maybe I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time exploring Angkor and Siem Reap.

I left and made a stop in Battambang, which was pretty much a worthless spot. One incident of note from Battambang though. After having searched high and low for a sandwich from a street vendor I finally found one, which served me up Spam I think. I bought two sandwiches, two fruit shakes and went back to my room to settle onto my bed in front of the TV which was showing non stop football (soccer). I was very content, when all of a sudden, from my fourth floor window I heard a screech and a women scream. I pulled back the sliding screen and looked out onto the street to see two men laying motionless on the pavement, one sprawled out face down, the other trapped under his moto. I could see one man was bleeding from his head while someone pulled him out. He was taken away on another moto, having been hastily pulled out from under his bike, unconscious or dead, while the other just lay in the street, probably dead, his moto 15 feet away. A semi-circle formed around the man, no one approaching until the police came. They looked at him for two seconds before picking him up by the arms and legs and literally throwing him into the back of the police van like a garbage man would throw a heavy bag of trash in to his truck before driving away. The sirens were off. It certainly dampened my mood for the rest of the night.

Next day I headed to Phnom Penh. What a city this place is. There is so much I could write about and analyze, but I will keep it to a minimum. There is a confluence of history, politics, poverty, corruption, violence, and culture that form this city (and the whole country too) and give it a certain je ne sais quoi. There is a darkness here that walks the street around you, and I am sure can be found with only a slight bit of exploration and conversation. Former Khmer Rouge soldiers, who helped commit mass murder no doubt smile at me everyday and ask if I want a tuk-tuk ride (a taxi). Last night I had a man approach me and offer much harder drugs than the typical marijuana and hash peddlers known to hang around the backpacker spots all over Asia. And the most disturbing thing for me is to see all the sex tourists that are here in Phnom Penh. All over this city, pathetic men, young and old, are here to take advantage of the sex industry in Cambodia. In Southeast Asia, the sex industry has existed and has been a part of the culture long before any white man set foot here, so condemn the industry or their local customs is not my aim; Cambodian men visit 'the disco' too. I am condemning the losers who come here to take advantage of it. Phnom Penh is filled with westerners who are scumbags in their own country and come to Cambodia because here they can be somebody and not have to deal with any consequences or responsibilities. The country of Cambodia is an escape for lots of people, whether Cambodian or Westerner, and for that reason I cannot quite make my mind up on my opinion of this place. The air is different here than any place I have been so far.

And I have not even touched the whole war part of the equation. I have been reading a lot about how the Vietnam War spilled over to Cambodia and how the Khmer Rouge came into power, and what atrocities they committed. I visited The Killing Fields and S-21, and read books about both of them. I have seen the lowest possible denominator that humanity could move to the last few days. It could be this heavy reading and extremely violent images and places that I have been immersing myself in has led to this pessimistic view of Phnom Penh and Cambodia. I am definitely ready to move back into Thailand, to hit the beaches and do sunbathing and scuba diving.

Some other updates, I did not get into grad school at U of Washington, so my plans for moving up to Seattle this fall have been changed drastically. I have formed multiple contingency plans in my head that now have a chance to be acted upon. There are still many more countries I have yet to visit. Also, I bought a plane ticket that will get me half-way home to The States. On June 3rd I will be flying from Kuala Lumpur to Paris. I am quite excited to be able to go to Paris and think it will be a good way to wrap up my trip. How I am going to get from Paris to Minnesota is another matter to save for another day.

Laos is Hot

-Pakse, Laos-
I have been traveling around Southern Laos for the past few days, going from town to town. I recently visited Si Phan Don, a group of islands scattered in the Mekong near the Cambodia border. It was very beautiful there. Our bungalow overlooked the green Mekong and out onto the green islands and large trees that sprout out of the river. During the day it is very hot and humid, so many hours have been spent trying to minimize movement and activity. I have really enjoyed my time here in Laos. I have been doing a little exploring here and there, but for the most part I have spent the last week riding in shared taxis or taking bus rides and sitting in a hammock or in a restaurant drinking a fruit shake.

Tomorrow I will be taking a short flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I will probably spend 3 or 4 days exploring the ancient ruins at Angkor.

Not On the Slow Boat Anymore

-Vientiane, Laos-

So last entry I was a little bored. How things can change. After leaving Luang Prabang, I made a stop at Phonsavan, a dusty town with boring buildings lining the main street. One of the reasons for such a non-descript, average looking towns is because it is not the original site of Phonsavan. The town was moved after the Americans bombed the original Phonsavan during the secret bombing campaign in the late 1960's-early 1970's. Large holes litter the green hills in this part of Laos, often exposing red-brown dirt where no grass or crops grow. Throughout the small villages, bomb casings and old military scrap metal are used as supports for buildings, used to pot plants, and melted down to make tools. It is sad and quite hard to relate too. Still today, everyday, there are organizations scouring the Laotian country side, diffusing small unexploded bombs that are scattered everywhere. It is just an everyday reality that these people live with, that while tilling their rice or playing in the fields, that they may stumble across a bomb. The Plain of Jars is here too, filled with big, 2000 year old, rock jars with unknown purpose. Even here, bombs were dropped and, and the entire area is still not cleared completely.
From here I headed south to Vang Vieng. This small town had lots to do. I ended up meeting up with some other Americans and a Canadian who I had met on the slow boat a few days ago. We went tubing down a river filled with bars and rope swings and loud music (in Laos?). It was a strange place. The town is filled with restaurants that have low tables so you can lay out, and tv's that show movies all day, or the Vang Vieng special, "Friends". These places show "Friends" all day, and I think it is really stupid. We also biked about 8-10 miles outside of the town and went exploring into a big cave. At the end of the trail was a pool of really cold water that we jumped into. It was completely dark except for the stupid little lights they gave us, so jumping into a dark pool of water, swimming off into a pitch black cave with stalagtites above you, and dripping water in the distance, it was very exhilarating.
After a few days there, we came down to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It is quite here with very hot days. We went bowling the other night. It was very embarrassing with none of us breaking 100. It was fun though. From here I am going to head down to southern Laos for a few days before going into Cambodia.

Lazy Laos

-Luang Prabang-

I have entered my 6th country in the last month, Laos (pronounced Lao). To get here, in Luang Prabang, I had to cross the Mekong river in a boat from northern Thailand over to Laos to get my visa. Then the next day I got on a slow boat and rode down the Mekong for two days. It is very beautiful here, with lush green jungle and sharp, jagged rocks jutting out of the brown, swirling Mekong. Going down the Mekong was like being on a water ride at Disney Land, passing by almost fake looking rocks on a very slow boat with a whole bunch of other tourists. It is hot and steamy here, but is much more bearable when you are sitting in the shade. The spiders spinning webs in between palm tress are huge, the mosquitoes haven't been biting yet, and the praying mantis that fell from the ceiling while I was eating dinner was pretty cool.
I really don't know much about Laos. I am learning more about it's history during Vietnam, but hope to learn more about it's ancient past and it's more current events. The people have been incredibly friendly and accommodating. For almost every exchange I get a 'thank you' and a smile. During the day it is fairly common to walk by a home and see the locals just laying on the floor, staying cool and preserving their energy during the height of the day. I think between the heat and the general laid back attitude of the people, Laos moves at a slower pace than Thailand. The food isn't as good as in Thailand, but it may be slightly healthier. A few nights ago I ate a Laotian dish with buffalo meat, rice, and least 5 kinds of green vegetables: chives, cucumber, lettuce, cilantro, and mint leaves. It was the greenest dish I have ever had.
Luang Prabang, is a decent sized city located in the hilly area of northern Laos. It is a Unesco city, for it's mixture of French and Laotian buildings and is quite pretty with it's wooden french buildings, buddhist monasteries, and green palm trees. Although, it is swamped with tourists, which may help it lose just a touch of exoticness. Tomorrow I hope to catch an eight hour bus ride to Phonsavan which is very close to the Plain of Jars.
Recently, I have been missing being home a little bit. This is partially because I am a little bored too. There is so much going on back home that I feel like I am missing out on between politics, current events, sports, and everyday goings on. I also have a huge list of recommended books, movies, tv shows, artists, and activities I am anxious to get started on. While I am still excited to see Angkor Wat, Phnom Penn, traipse through Malaysian jungle, go scuba diving and go to the Full Moon Party in Thailand, I am looking forward to coming home. One of the major signs that I need to find some kind of activity to do to keep me busy during the heat of the day, is that I sewed up two holes in two pairs of shorts today. And I enjoyed doing it too. Yikes.

Thailand: The Land of A Million Buddhas

-Chiang Mai, Thailand-
After leaving Bangkok I went north to Ayuthaya, which used to be a capital city hundreds of years ago. Scattered throughout the town are crumbling, red brick ruins. I rented a bicycle for a dollar and biked around for the afternoon. I was less than an inch away from being completely run over by a car making a turn directly into me. That was slightly unnerving. The day after I went north again, by train to Phitsanulok and Sukhothai. I used Phitsanulok as a jumping off to Sukhothai, which was also an ancient capital city with lots of buddhas and wats and ruins. I rented a bicycle for the day there too, but did not have any close-encounters with any cars or trucks or tuk-tuks. I have posted pictures of these beautiful spots and lots of buddha statues. These locations are very nice, but I have to say I am a little worn out from seeing so many buddhist temples and buddha statues and old ruins of buddhist cities. There are new and old temples everywhere, in the cites, towns, and the countryside, and they all look the same. It is quite monotonous.
Then I went farther north to Chiang Mai, a total tourist spot. The train broke down along the way so it took way too long to get here. Here in Chiang Mai there may be more tourists here than Thai people. There is even a Starbucks. I won't be going to it, but I will admit I did make a visit to a Starbucks a few days ago in Bangkok to get some real coffee. Anyway, Chiang Mai is a hub of activity filled with all sorts of people. The visitors I see here are, as a whole, slightly different than the people you see in India. In Thailand there are the backpackers and the rich people doing the organized tours, just like in India, but here there is also the socially awkward group of perverted men (of all ages),the partiers, and the average vacationer. There are also many less hippies here. I find this all very interesting.
So tomorrow I head north again to Chiang Rai before heading into Laos. I think I will be able to get a visa to Laos at the border without too much hassle, but I am not 100% about it.
I have posted new pics and updated my map of visited spots.

Where Am I?

-Bangkok, Thailand-

Wow, I have landed in a new world! Bangkok is in Asia, but a million miles away from India and Nepal. It is awesome here, and this has to be one of my favorite cities. It is an incredibly rich city with so much to offer in both culture and entertainment. Bangkok is an amazingly developed city with huge skyscrapers, gigantic shopping malls, and efficient public transportation. I have found myself keeping very busy and haven't even had a chance to write in my personal journal. This computer runs off a coin-operated device made for a washing machine and it ate some of my coins so I will have to be brief in this entry.
In Bangkok I have visited many Buddhist temples located in various spots in the city. Temples here in Thailand are of a different sect of Buddhism and have their own still, which is much different than all the places I have seen in India and Nepal and Tibet (you will have to check out my pics when I get a chance to post some). I also got to watch some Muay Thai boxing, which is a form of Thai boxing that allows hits with feet and knees and elbows. Bangkok also is a shopper's paradise. There is a mall I just went to today, 7 floors high. The Mall of America (MOA) may have more physical space than MBK (the Thai mall), but compared to the amount of t-shirts, and cell phones, and shoes, and luggage that is sold at MBK, the MOA looks like a rummage sale. And the best thing about Bangkok is the transportation. I have saved hundreds of Bhat (the currency) by taking the subway and public buses. I can get anywhere in the city with a few cents and little bit of time.
I totally recommend Bangkok to anyone, because everyone can find something they like here. Between all the food, all the drinks, all the shopping, all the temples, and all of the rest of it, you can find appeasement for a few bhat.

Say Goodbye To India

-Kolkata, India-
Today is my last day in India, and like clockwork, I got sick. This is making my last few hours in India a little disappointing, like going out with a fart instead of a bang. One of the perks about traveling is the adventure presented to you by all the different kinds of food to choose from, from restaurants and small stands and push-carts on the street. Yesterday I stepped up to the plate, took a swing, and missed. Today and last night I payed the penalties. It wasn't pretty.
Before this unfortunate turn of events I was enjoying Kolkata. It has a more tropical feel too it, which is mixed with English colonial influence. Many of the buildings are black and rotten looking, but are really cool. I saw a tree growing off the side of one big, old English building, which had an elaborate metal gate, arched windows, rotten shudders, and a courtyard filled with trash and weeds. It may not sound like much, but it had character, which lends to a better atmosphere here in Kolkata than in Delhi, and probably Mumbai. I kind of wish I could explore it a little more, especially the undeveloped areas, but I will just have to save it for next time.
In just under 24 hours I will have departed from India. I can't say I will miss it. Although India can be extremely overwhelming, it has an appeal, an appeal that I find hard to describe. There is just so much going on here, from the North to the South, to the plains to the hills, to the buildings and the streets. There is a vibrance that India emits, even through the sounds of car horns and beggar's cries for money. I can definitely see myself visiting again, but when that will be, I cannot say. I will need some time to decompress and relax. It has been a great experience traveling in India, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan and I probably only regret a couple of things throughout the trip so far (eating certain street food is one of them). Maybe it has left me slightly more cynical, but the desire to travel further is just as strong as when I left San Diego three months ago.
Only yesterday did I open up my small guidebook for SE Asia. I am still a little apprehensive about going to Thailand, Lao, and Cambodia, because I have not planned it out at all. Only an hour ago did I create a very loose itinerary for my first month there. I know it will all work out (it always has), but going off to a new part of the world with which I am not familiar with, don't know the language at all, and with no planning, is kind of scary to me right now. I have butterflies in my stomach right now as I think about it. But this uneasiness might not be nervousness, it could just be India's farewell revenge to me in the form of a food borne illness, a kind of sick joke (haha). It is India telling me that no matter how patient or proficient I am with the trains, the people, and the noise, I will never truly be able to control or master everything that India is or discover all of it's hidden secrets.

India: I bow down to thee.